International Student Tax Return Information

• Requirements to file a federal income tax return are based on receiving income from U.S. sources. 

If you do not have any taxable and/or reportable income and are on F or J visa, you and your accompanying family members in similar statuses must file Form 8843. If needed, you can use GTP to prepare Form 8843 for you and your accompanying family members. The Form 8843 may be signed and mailed by itself.

• What Type of Taxable and/or Reportable Income Can I Receive as a Student?  
  • Payments received via payroll for work for the University as a Graduate Assistant, Resident Assistant, Teaching Assistant, Graduate Research Scholarship recipient or hourly student employee.  
  • Payments for scholarships, fellowships, travel grants, awards, prizes, and royalties. 

Individuals living in Athens typically file:

• Federal Tax Return
• State of Ohio Tax Return
• Ohio school district tax return.

If you do not have any taxable and/or reportable income and are on F or J visa, you and your accompanying family members in similar statuses must file Form 8843. If needed, you can use GTP to prepare Form 8843 for you and your accompanying family members. The Form 8843 may be signed and mailed by itself.

• U.S. tax status is used to determine which tax system applies to you and which tax returns to file.
• For U.S. tax purposes, there are four U.S. tax statuses: 
  • U.S. Citizen
  • Lawful Permanent Resident Alien (LPR)
  • Resident Alien for tax purposes (RA)
  • Nonresident for tax purposes. (NRA)
• International students on F or J visas are either Nonresident Alien or Resident Alien

• Individuals are considered Nonresident Aliens for tax purposes until they meet the substantial presence test.
• Glacier can help determine your U.S. tax status.
• In general, individuals present in the U.S. under an F, J, M, or Q student immigration status will be a Nonresident Alien (NRA) for the first five calendar years they are present in the U.S.; individuals present in the U.S. under a J or Q non-student immigrant status will be a Nonresident Alien (NRA) for the first two calendar years they are present in the U.S. Individual facts and circumstances must be considered to determine exceptions to the general rule.

• Form 1098-T is not an income form and is not applicable to Nonresident Aliens.
• Taxable fellowships and scholarships to Nonresient aliens are reported on Form 1042-S.

If you enrolled in health insurance through the Marketplace, you should have received Form 1095-A. Form 1095-A is provided to assist you in determining your premium tax credit under the Affordable Care Act. If you received Form 1095-A and took an advance on the premium tax credit or wish to take the premium tax credit, you will need to prepare your tax return manually, outside of GTP. Form 8962 is used to determine the premium tax credit and can be found here:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8962.pdf

Each tax return depends on the particular facts and circumstances of each individual's situation. The information entered into GTP will determine the most appropriate form for your situation: this may or may not be the same as your friend's tax return. 

• Individuals who are U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Resident Aliens (LPR), or Resident Aliens (RA) for tax purposes are eligible to electronically file their tax returns; Nonresident Aliens (NRA) are not generally eligible to electronically file their tax documents. As stated in the instruction sheet that prints with your tax return prepared through GTP, you must PRINT, REVIEW, SIGN AND MAIL the return to the IRS.
• Students that are Nonresident Aliens (NRA) for tax purposes that filed their tax return online most likely filed an incorrect tax return.
• Filing an incorrect tax return is a very serious issue and will result in a $205 penalty and possible elimination of all tax deductions, allowances, and/or treaty exemptions. This can also lead to green card applications being rejected.

• Only licensed tax preparers should charge a fee for the preparation of a tax return. The preparer charging for the completion of your return should have a licensed PTIN number issued by the IRS and sign your tax return as a paid preparer. Any tax return not signed by a paid preparer is considered self-prepared and the individual taxpayer is responsible for any errors or omissions.
• You can find tax preparers here:  https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

If you have questions or need assistance, please click on "Help" at the top right of any screen in GTP. If you have additional questions, you may send them to support@glaciertax.com . In your email, please be as specific as possible. Please DO NOT include your social security number or ITIN in the email as they do not need that information to assist you. All support questions are handled by GTP support via email; no phone calls will be accepted. 

In addition, ISSS will hold a couple of Q&A sessions and will provide the information on the ISSS Q&A sessions when it becomes available. We strongly recommend watching the GTP workshop hosted by our previous Tax Compliance Manager online at https://youtu.be/Z6n9Qw8KFE0 especially if you have never filed a U.S. income tax return before. It provides a step-by-step guide, so you can complete your tax return using GTP as you watch the workshop recording. You can also see the PowerPoint [PDF]. 

Please note that ISSS or other OU departments cannot provide any tax advice.

If you complete your tax return and still have questions, Arctic International, the software vendor who OU purchases Glacier from, is holding several tax Q&A sessions. Information on the Q&A session will be provided to you when GTP becomes available.

In December, the IRS announced that over a million taxpayers did not claim or file a 2021 U.S. tax return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit (“RRC”) – as such, the IRS began simply mailing $1,400 checks to taxpayers who the IRS deemed would have been eligible to claim the credit if a 2021 tax return had been filed.  Unfortunately, the IRS is erroneously issuing these rebate checks to nonresident aliens – who were not eligible to claim it on their 2021 tax return.

To have been eligible for this credit, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen or resident alien for U.S. tax purposes for tax year 2021; individuals who were nonresident aliens for tax year 2021 were not eligible to claim the RRC.

If you have received this rebate payment from the IRS and you were a nonresident alien in 2021, it is an error. In such case, please write “VOID” across the check and mail it back to the IRS; for information on where to return the refund check, please visit https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc161#:~:text=If%20your%20refund%20was%20… .

Please also note that if you call the IRS and are told by an IRS representative that you are entitled to the RRC payment, it is incorrect. Please refer to Question 1 of the 2021 RRC FAQ page for eligibility requirements. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-c-eligib…

If you deposit the check and it is later determined that the check was issued in error, you will be required to pay the amount back to the IRS, plus interest!

Please make sure to carefully review the information received and follow the directions above should you receive a check from the IRS. 

You can access an electronic version of your Ohio University W-2 by logging into ADP

You can learn more on the Human Resources webpage: https://www.ohio.edu/hr/compensation-pay/payroll-services/instructions-…

The 1099G is a tax reporting document that reports any State or Local income tax refunds received from the previous tax year. If you filed taxes last year and received a refund from the State of Ohio or your Locality you should receive a 1099G. 

You can retrieve an electronic copy of your 1099G by visiting the State of Ohio tax website . 

You must create an I-File account to be able to access electronic versions of Ohio tax forms (such as your 1099G). I-File accounts are only available to individuals who have previously filed an Ohio return. If you need help with the 1099G or creating an I-File account, you can call the Ohio Department of Taxation at 1-800-282-1780. 

For GTP you should use the main line for International Student and Scholar Services; 740-593-4330.

Academic supplies are required supplies for your academic program that are noted in the academic catalogue. For instance, a portfolio for an art student.

It is important that you use your current address when you file your taxes.

Please note:When you finish the Glacier record, you will be provided with an updated W-4 form that can be submitted to Ohio University Human Resources (OUHR) to update your address for any future human resources related mailings. Use this form to securely submit your paperwork to OUHR. 

It is essential that you keep copies of all documents that you send to the IRS. You will not be able to access your previous year's return in Glacier. 

Make sure to use mail tracking (FedEx, UPS, or USPS) when sending your tax return. Since non-resident alien tax returns take several months to process it is helpful for you to have confirmation that the IRS received your submission. 

GTP is only for Nonresident Aliens (NRAs) for tax purposes.
There are a number of free options available for Resident Aliens (RAs) for tax purposes. Go to the IRS Free File https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-free-file-do-your-taxes-for-free to explore various options available to you.